ACADEMIC WAR - FINAL BATTLE

  As the battlefield settled, Ethan collapsed onto one knee, panting.

  His body screamed for rest, but they had done it.

  The Academy of Stars had survived.

  Darius wiped sweat from his brow, flashing a grin. “Well, that was fun.”

  Callan chuckled, shaking his head. “You have a strange definition of fun.”

  Lysandra crossed her arms, looking at Ethan. “…That last move you pulled—what was that?”

  Ethan exhaled. “Just… rewriting the rules.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll figure you out eventually.”

  Orion clapped Ethan on the back. “For now, we celebrate. We made it to the finals.”

  Ethan looked up at the Velmora Academy warriors standing across the field.

  Their final battle was coming.

  And Ethan had a feeling—it would be the hardest fight yet.

  The final battle had begun.

  Across the vast battleground—a sprawling, dynamic warzone designed for large-scale combat—the Academy of Stars and Velmora Academy stood on opposite sides.

  This was no longer a battle for flags.

  It was a war to determine supremacy.

  Hundreds of students, all divided into the 11 Houses, were preparing their strategies. The terrain was a blend of stone fortifications, forests, and shifting platforms, ensuring that both offense and defense would be tested.

  The horn blared, signaling the beginning.

  And the battlefield exploded into motion.

  Each House from both academies had their own roles and tactics, and as soon as the battle began, they sprang into action.

  House Aries vs. House Aries – The Clash of Titans

  Darius led the warriors of Aries, their auras blazing like molten fire as they clashed against Velmora’s Aries students.

  Their fists met with earth-shattering impacts, the ground beneath them cracking from the sheer force of their battle.

  Darius roared forward, throwing a punch at a towering opponent from Velmora—a massive student named Bors who wielded a pair of heavy gauntlets infused with seismic energy.

  Bors smirked. “Think you’re the only one with power?”

  He slammed his fists together, sending a shockwave that tore through the battlefield, sending several Academy of Stars students flying.

  Darius rolled with the impact, skidding to a stop, his eyes blazing.

  He grinned.

  “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

  The two charged at each other, fists colliding in an earth-shaking brawl.

  While the warriors clashed, the Aquarius students of both academies took to the high ground, manipulating raw energy.

  Velmora’s Pisces students, specialists in fluid combat, wove through their attacks with liquid grace.

  One of them—a girl with flowing white hair named Selka—spun her staff, causing the air itself to ripple, creating distortions that deflected incoming energy blasts.

  Callan, leading the Academy of Stars’ Aquarius unit, narrowed his eyes.

  “She’s warping air pressure… making our attacks bend before they reach.”

  He glanced at his allies. “We’re gonna need to adjust.”

  With a flick of his fingers, he changed tactics—instead of launching energy blasts, he switched to directed concussive waves, sending compressed force through the air instead of projectiles.

  The next attack struck true, knocking Selka off balance.

  A smirk tugged at Callan’s lips. “Got you.”

  But Selka grinned.

  Behind him, a second Pisces student had already moved into position—and in an instant, a torrent of pressurized water shot toward Callan.

  He barely had time to dodge as the wave tore through the platform, sending two of his allies crashing below.

  While the other Houses engaged in direct combat, the Virgo students had a different role.

  They weren’t warriors.

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  They were strategists, engineers, and battlefield manipulators.

  Ethan, Lysandra, and the other Virgo students worked together, transmuting the terrain, setting traps, and reinforcing defenses.

  Lysandra led a squad of enchanters, weaving protection into the structures and fortifications.

  “We need to limit their movement,” she commanded, swiftly altering the stone pathways beneath their feet to make traversal more difficult for Velmora’s advancing forces.

  One of the enemy Virgo students—a sharp-eyed boy named Reynar—caught on immediately.

  He countered their terrain shifts, modifying the land in real-time to prevent them from gaining the advantage.

  Ethan, observing the exchange, smirked.

  “That’s cute,” he muttered. “But not enough.”

  He activated his Lion’s Sight.

  And suddenly—the battlefield wasn’t just a fight.

  It was a code waiting to be rewritten.

  The battle reached a turning point.

  Both academies were pushing their limits, neither willing to yield.

  ? Fire raged as Aries warriors clashed.

  ? Water and energy distorted the air as Aquarius and Pisces forces fought in aerial duels.

  ? Earth and metal groaned as Virgos altered the terrain, countering each other’s transmutations.

  But Velmora had an edge.

  Their earth specialists had gradually shifted the terrain to their advantage, creating high ground positions and isolating key warriors from the Academy of Stars.

  The Academy of Stars was losing ground.

  And then—it happened.

  Ethan took a deep breath.

  His heart pounded.

  This was it.

  He had already pushed his abilities further than before.

  But if they were going to win this war, he had to go even further.

  He closed his eyes, focusing.

  He let his Leo’s aura surge, funneling it into his Virgo-based transmutation abilities.

  Then—he saw it.

  The atoms in the air, the molecules shifting.

  The fabric of the world itself, waiting to be reshaped.

  And so—he rewrote it.

  The ground beneath their feet shifted—but not in Velmora’s favor.

  Ethan undid their terrain modifications, neutralizing their advantage.

  But he didn’t stop there.

  He compressed the air in localized zones, creating invisible walls to block enemy attacks.

  He hardened the sand, turning it into metallic surfaces for his allies to move across with greater speed.

  And then—he did something no one expected.

  He changed the air density, creating a massive uplift of wind, launching several Velmora warriors into disadvantageous positions.

  The battlefield was no longer theirs.

  It belonged to Ethan.

  With Velmora’s strategy completely countered, the Academy of Stars surged forward.

  ? Darius delivered the final blow to Bors, sending him crashing into the dirt.

  ? Callan overwhelmed Selka, his adapted concussive strikes too fast for her to counter.

  ? Orion’s bladed vines moved like living whips, knocking Velmora warriors out of position.

  And finally—

  Ethan reached their leader.

  Reynar—the Virgo strategist of Velmora.

  The two locked eyes.

  Reynar smirked. “You really think you’ve won?”

  Ethan smiled back. “I know we have.”

  And with a single rewrite of the terrain, Velmora’s leader was pushed out of the battlefield, disqualifying him from the fight.

  The horn blared.

  The battle was over.

  The Academy of Stars had won.

  The students of the Academy of Stars collapsed to their knees, panting, exhausted.

  But they had done it.

  They had fought as one academy.

  And they had won the war.

  Ethan exhaled, feeling the weight of victory settle over him.

  Lysandra, standing beside him, looked at the battlefield.

  “…You changed everything,” she admitted.

  Ethan smirked. “I told you—I rewrite the rules.”

  Darius, Callan, and Orion laughed, already planning the celebration.

  The war had ended, and victory belonged to the Academy of Stars.

  Yet, as the banners were lowered and the battlefield cleared, something greater than rivalry remained—respect.

  Now, under the grand pavilion of Velmora Academy’s palace, a massive celebration was underway.

  Noble chandeliers of glowing crystals floated above, casting shimmering lights across the gilded halls, where students from all four academies—once fierce opponents in battle—now stood side by side, feasting, laughing, and sharing war stories.

  The scent of roasted meats, fine bread, and spiced wine filled the air, while musicians played a melody that carried the spirit of unity.

  Ethan sat at one of the long tables, still sore from the war but content.

  Across from him, Darius and Bors—the Aries champions from different academies—clinked their mugs together, exchanging hearty laughs.

  “You’re strong, Bors,” Darius admitted, lifting his drink. “I’ll give you that.”

  Bors smirked, his massive arms crossed. “You’re not so bad yourself. Next time, though, I won’t go easy.”

  Darius grinned. “You think you were going easy?”

  Bors chuckled, taking a swig of his drink.

  Further down the table, Callan and Selka from Azureveil Academy were discussing strategy, their rivalry turned into an intellectual exchange.

  “You actually figured out my pressure distortions mid-fight?” Selka asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Callan smirked. “I had to. Otherwise, you would have destroyed our entire formation.”

  Selka shook her head, smiling. “I’d like to challenge you again—on fair ground.”

  “Next time,” Callan replied, tipping his glass.

  Meanwhile, Lysandra found herself speaking with Reynar, the Virgo strategist from Velmora Academy.

  “I’ll admit,” Reynar said, swirling his drink, “your academy’s alchemists impressed me. Especially that one.”

  He nodded toward Ethan.

  Lysandra glanced at Ethan, who was laughing at one of Orion’s ridiculous jokes.

  She smirked. “He has his moments.”

  Reynar narrowed his eyes. “He’s dangerous.”

  Lysandra’s smirk faltered slightly.

  “He’s not dangerous,” she corrected. “He’s just… different.”

  Reynar hummed. “Difference is what changes the world.”

  As the feast continued, the grand doors to the hall opened.

  Silence fell.

  Everyone turned as the King of Velmora, King Alden Greythorn, entered.

  Clad in royal robes woven with golden threads, his presence commanded both respect and admiration.

  At his side stood the headmasters of all four academies, their expressions proud as they surveyed their students.

  The king raised his hand, and the hall quieted.

  Then, he spoke.

  “Tonight, we stand not as warriors, not as rivals, but as one people.”

  His deep voice carried through the grand chamber, powerful, yet warm.

  “You fought bravely. Each of you represented your academy, your house, and your kingdom with honor.”

  His eyes swept across the room, meeting faces of students who had once battled against one another, now sitting together as friends.

  “This competition was never about dominance,” the king continued. “It was never about proving which academy is strongest.”

  His gaze hardened, yet his words were filled with wisdom.

  “It was about unity.”

  A murmur rippled through the crowd.

  The king stepped forward, his golden cloak billowing behind him.

  “We live in a world filled with great wonders… but also great dangers. The bonds we forge todaywill define the future. Your strength is not in your academy alone—but in the friendships, the alliances you build.”

  He gestured toward the students.

  “Look around you. Yesterday, you fought as enemies. But today?”

  A small smile touched the king’s lips.

  “You drink together as comrades.”

  A ripple of agreement moved through the crowd.

  The king lifted his goblet, his presence radiant.

  “To unity,” he declared.

  The room erupted into a chorus of voices, students and instructors alike raising their drinks.

  “To unity!”

  Mugs clinked, laughter rose, and for that night—there were no Houses, no Academies, no Kingdoms.

  Only one people, bound by the trials they had faced together.

  As the celebration continued, Ethan stepped away from the noise, leaning against the marble balcony overlooking the glowing city of Velmora.

  The stars above twinkled brightly, as if watching over them.

  Solis landed beside him, his twin tails flicking.

  “You did well, Fireborn,” the cat mused.

  Ethan exhaled. “It wasn’t just me.”

  Solis’s silver eyes gleamed. “That’s what makes it even greater.”

  Ethan watched the celebration below, seeing warriors who had once clashed now sharing drinks, strategists who had once plotted against each other now laughing like old friends.

  This was more than just a victory for the Academy of Stars.

  This was a reminder.

  That no single Academy could stand alone.

  That true strength… was found in unity.

  And Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling…

  That soon, the world would need that unity more than ever.